PSW - Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Wrong. It was all so wrong.
Yang Zhengming couldn't even find his own voice. He tried to speak, forcing himself several times before a trembling sound escaped. He had always been calm. He considered himself intelligent and talented. He was adaptable, and when it was time to be ruthless, he was more ruthless than anyone. He believed the apocalypse was an opportunity from the heavens, a chance for him to rise above others. And he had done just that. He thought he had seized it.
That was why, standing in this pool of blood before this seemingly harmless person, Yang Zhengming felt a profound and terrifying fear.
Faced with such a scene and her almost coquettish words, Tang Kang'an didn't dare deactivate his ability. Or perhaps… whether he used his ability or not would change nothing about their current predicament.
With a thud, he fell heavily to his knees in the bloody water, tears and snot streaming down his face. "I don't know her! I don't know any Zheng Yi!"
"Shh, I'm a kind person. I can't bear to see people cry." Zheng Yi pressed a finger to her lips, her eyes curving into crescents. For a moment, her smile was like the clear light of a new moon, or the first thaw of winter snow.
Such stunning beauty should have felt like a refreshing spring breeze. But to Yang Zhengming, it was like being plunged into an icy cavern.
He ignored the blood covering his hands and frantically wiped the tears from his face. His voice trembled with terror as he knocked his head heavily against the floor several times. "Yes, yes, I'll stop crying. Please, be merciful. Just think of me as a fart, a piece of trash. Please, just let me go."
As he continued to plead, the silent Tang Kang'an's face grew even paler. Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. He bit his lip, not daring to make a sound, terrified of drawing her attention. He didn't even dare look at Zheng Yi, filled with regret for rushing over. To prevent the female ability users from escaping, he had even used his ability at its maximum range upon arrival. He had assumed this ability user would be like the others—that she would lose all ability to resist the moment he arrived, left to his mercy.
Just then, Yang Zhengming heard another thud. It was another ability user who hadn't charged forward earlier; his legs had given out, and he had collapsed to the ground. His pants were quickly soaked with blood, but soon, Yang Zhengming smelled something else…
How dare he? How dare he at a time like this? He had been so scared he'd lost control of his bladder!
The next moment, the simple fire axe swung again. Warm blood splattered across Yang Zhengming's face. He didn't dare move an inch. He heard the woman's voice, seemingly not angered at all, chuckle lightly. "His ability is very useful, so let's have him listen in as well~ Now, we can talk privately."
"The women upstairs, and those female ability users… you captured and forced them, didn't you? Hmm?"
"N-No, they were willing, it was all willing." Yang Zhengming's heart tightened, and he quickly replied, "It's the apocalypse. Most of them are ordinary women; they can't survive on their own. I saved them, gave them food and shelter. They wanted to live, so… so they could only… only help us with our physiological needs. It's mutual help, yes, mutual help." He racked his brain for excuses while trying to read Zheng Yi's expression. Although she maintained a gentle look no matter what he said, he was desperately trying to catch any subtle detail.
"You can grab any one of them and ask! I absolutely never forced them! They were all willing. Even if you kill us, they won't be able to survive on their own. They don't have any abilities, they can't do anything. They… they… some of them even seduced me on their own initiative!" Seeing the smile on Zheng Yi's lips deepen, Yang Zhengming thought he had hit the mark and hurriedly continued:
"They're cheap, utterly depraved. They'd even lick my toes for a bite of food. They're not the women they were before the apocalypse. They… they're useless. The only thing they can do for humanity is bear children. You're different from them. They're like pigs, content as long as they have food and water. You are a true human being."
"That's true. To ability users like you, ordinary people are indeed like pigs." It was impossible to discern any emotion from Zheng Yi's tone, but the gentle smile on her lips never faded. "However, I'm not exactly human. My dear brother, do you know who I am?"
"I'm Zheng Yi. I'm the Saint~"
Just then, Tang Kang'an collapsed to his knees. "My… my ability… I can't maintain it over such a large area for so long… I did my best, I really did my best!"
"It's okay. You can go gather all the ordinary people under your command. The ones with enhanced physiques, too. I'll pay them a visit later." Zheng Yi looked at him and smiled, raising a hand to point at a derelict fire hydrant in the hallway. The next instant, a massive explosion rocked the entire building. Flying shards of glass didn't touch Zheng Yi in the slightest. Gentle and elegant, she tapped Tang Kang'an on the forehead. "I trust you'll handle this well, right?"
Tang Kang'an, still on his knees, scrambled to his feet, his limbs so weak that he slipped several times. His entire body was soaked in blood, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. "R-Right, right. I'll definitely… definitely handle it. I won't let you down, I absolutely…" He tried to string together flattering words but couldn't control himself. Fortunately, Zheng Yi didn't make things difficult for him. She just pointed toward the door, and he forced his trembling legs to carry him out in a clumsy yet hurried gait, not daring to linger.
"Do you remember when I said you were trapped in a sea of suffering?" Zheng Yi finally turned back to Yang Zhengming. The gentleness in her eyes deepened, and her voice grew softer, tinged with a hint of pity. "You could have been much stronger."
"…" Yang Zhengming stared at her blankly for a moment before quickly bowing his head. "Yes, I remember, I remember. Please, speak."
"Your heart isn't pure~" A small knife had appeared in Zheng Yi's hand at some point. Upon closer inspection, the cold, gleaming blade was identical to a hospital scalpel. It twirled between her fingers before she pressed it intimately against Yang Zhengming's cheek, the cool metal gliding gently across his skin… "Your eyes have been clouded by desire, you are deeply afflicted by lust. You can't control yourself, wasting time that should have been spent strengthening yourself on violating others… You are truly rotten to the core."
The cold blade slid down to his Adam's apple. Yang Zhengming didn't even dare to swallow, staring straight at Zheng Yi, the terror in his eyes plain to see. He had no idea what she wanted or why she was doing this. Was it to avenge those women? He… he could release them immediately. He could even swear never to touch another woman again. If that wasn't enough, he was even willing to marry them and treat them well!
"They are human, you know~" Zheng Yi sighed softly. "After all, if they are pigs, then a piece of trash like you is no different from a pig in my eyes."
"Yes, yes, I'm a pig! I'm worse than a pig or a dog! It's all my fault, I know I was wrong. I'm willing to compensate them, to treat them well. As long as you're happy, I'll do anything- I'm a dual-ability user, I'll be your pig, your dog from now on-" The moment the scalpel left his neck, Yang Zhengming began to speak rapidly, trying to seize any sliver of a chance to survive. But before he could finish, an agonizing pain erupted from below his waist.
A scream like a pig being slaughtered echoed through the building. In the dorm rooms upstairs, the women trembled, their fear intensifying. They didn't know what was happening and didn't dare to leave. They couldn't even bear to think about what tomorrow would bring.
"I am Zheng Yi. I am the Saint. Repeat after me: Zheng Yi is the Saint."
But Yang Zhengming was still lost in excruciating pain, screaming and writhing on the floor like a contorted maggot.
Zheng Yi grabbed his right hand and began crushing it, bit by bit, from the knuckles to the palm. Yang Zhengming's eyes bulged and filled with blood. The pain nearly made him pass out, but the cold, bloody water enveloped him, keeping him conscious. He instinctively tried to use his ability, but the agony made it impossible to concentrate.
"Zheng Yi is the Saint! Zheng Yi is the Saint! Zheng Yi is the Saint!" The thought of being a eunuch didn't even register as anger; it only amplified his terror. She couldn't be human. She was definitely not human. No human could possess such power. She was a demon, a devil, a lunatic! His cries were almost shouts, desperate and shrill, filled with endless suffering.
But the hand on his arm didn't stop. His thick forearm was easily crushed, inch by inch, under her grip, as if she weren't crushing his bones at all, but a bag of instant noodles.
"Your heart isn't sincere~" the woman's voice whispered by his ear like a soft sigh. "Are you resentful that I'm helping you? Do you not realize my good intentions?"
"If you can't even provide this little bit of value…" The woman's tone suddenly shifted, taking on a faintly crazed excitement. "Then I'll just have to… help you find salvation~ bit by bit~"
"Zheng Yi is the Saint! Zheng Yi is the Saint! You are Zheng Yi, you are the Saint! You are the Saint! Zheng Yi is the Saint!" The extreme pain couldn't make him faint. He endured it, lucid yet delirious. Even in his despair, he clung to a sliver of hope, obeying Zheng Yi and repeating her words over and over.
Why wasn't it working? Why was she still torturing him? Was she toying with him? Why not just kill him already!
Sincerity? Right, sincerity… What if, what if? He couldn't think about it. No, no…
He was both bewildered and crazed, as if he were an empty shell, yet also as if he had unleashed some boundless power. He believed and he seethed, wishing for death one moment and clinging to life the next…
In the end, all his thoughts dissolved into four words.
"Zheng Yi is the Saint…"
He seemed to be nothing but an empty shell, his soul and thoughts far away, leaving only endless pain and the instinct to survive. He trembled, contorted, and repeated the phrase endlessly, carving it into his very bones along with the pain.
When his entire right arm had been crushed to pulp, the woman finally stopped. Her eyes were dark and bright as she spoke again. "I can feel your devotion now."
"Now, please be a little more devout. I want you to say it from the bottom of your heart, to offer your very soul to me. I am the Saint."
After Tang Kang'an's ability reached its limit and he staggered out of the building, Zhu Lanyuan found she could use her own ability again. But the commotion downstairs made her hesitate. On one hand, she was wary of a trap set by those men; on the other, she suspected something had gone wrong for them.
She was not one to sit and wait for death. After only a few seconds of hesitation, she reached out and gripped the iron door. Her ability activated, and a viscous black liquid oozed from her palm, corroding the entire door. Even if it was a trap, she would take her chances.
She would never give up. Even if it was a trap, she would do everything in her power to seize every opportunity.
She moved with extreme care, making almost no sound. Or perhaps, any sound she made would have gone unnoticed over the pig-like squeals from downstairs, which were simply too loud and too miserable. Zhu Lanyuan frowned, trying to identify the voice, but she couldn't make out anything from the distorted wails. Soon, however, the wailing stopped.
She needed to conserve her strength for when Tang Kang'an returned. Not daring to waste time, Zhu Lanyuan quickly moved to the rooms where the other female ability users were held captive. She raised her hand, and the chains and locks on the doors corroded and dissolved. And then, her two female squad members…
She wasn't sure if they were okay. She didn't care if they had been forced to endure things they shouldn't have; she was simply worried about their condition. After all… they weren't as strong as she was. Within the range of Tang Kang'an's ability, even when she pushed herself to the brink of mental collapse, she could only unleash a single, weak burst of her power. Of course, that one time had been enough to frighten Yang Zhengming, making him decide to lock her up for a few more days, starving and dehydrating her, keeping her barely alive while constantly sending those two damned traitors to persuade her, trying to break her spirit both mentally and physically.
Zhu Lanyuan didn't dwell on it. She didn't even enter the rooms to call for the other trapped ability users to act with her. She just silently dissolved the restraints on each door, then gritted her teeth and headed downstairs to scout the situation first. If things looked bad, she couldn't drag the others into it.
And then what?
She began to hear it clearly.
"Zheng Yi is the Saint, Zheng Yi is the Saint!"
It was a frantic, shrill cry, like a desperate shout on the verge of death. It sounded like a twisted, extremist believer, or a raving lunatic. Zhu Lanyuan tried to make out the words, but she still couldn't understand what he was shouting or what deeper meaning it held.
The power in the dormitory was still on, the lights still bright. She crept downstairs, holding her breath, and then…
She saw Yang Zhengming kneeling on the floor, endlessly repeating those four words. And she saw the… person?… surrounded by a boundless pool of blood, their face obscured.
"Zheng Yi"? "The Saint"?
In that instant, her entire body went rigid. An unprecedented sense of threat seized her by the throat. Her blood seemed to freeze, and she found it hard to breathe.
She had been spotted.
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment